Introduction
My name is Richard Unwin and I am the recent winner of the CIBSE/ASHRAE H&V News Building Services Graduate of the Year.
As winner of the award I have been given the privilege of flying out to New York to attend the ASHRAE Conference.
This website has been designed to share my experience in the U.S with colleagues, peers and, most importantly, students in the building services sector.
What is the H&V News Building Services Graduate of the Year Award?
This is a fantastic award for young building services students.
The H&V News Awards – known as the industry’s ‘Oscars’ - hold annual awards for the HVAC industry. The graduate of the year award, now in its twelfth year, is one of 18 award categories.
This well established and prestigious award honours the best building services graduate from a programme related to CIBSE/ASHRAE activities. Several top students from each university across the UK and Ireland are entered in the award, where the entries are then short listed to five finalists.
The finalists give a short presentation to an assembled audience and a judging panel, this years included ASHRAE President Kent Peterson, ASHRAE past president Richard Rooley and CIBSE President John Armstrong. The event was held at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Westminster.
The winner is awarded a trip to the U.S for ASHRAE winter meeting
Previous winners include:
96/97: Kevin Mitchell - South Bank University and AMEC Design
97/98: Matthew Pilgrim - Arup
98/99: Sophia Kauntz - Arup
99/00: Ruth Kelly - Dublin Institute of Technology and AMEC
00/01: Lucy Wilde - University of Nottingham and Capita Projects
01/02: Ciara Ahern - Dublin Institute of Technology
02/03: Richard Kemp - University of Nottingham and Hoare Lea
03/04: Dominic Shortland - London South Bank University
04/05: Kai Lim - Imperial College and Faber Maunsell
05/06: Nigel Banks - Sheffield and Faber Maunsell
06/07: Michael Norton - London South Bank University
07/08: Richard Unwin – London South Bank University and Overbury PLC
The 2007/2008 finalists were:
Andrew Bickerdyke - Durham Uni and Faber Maunsell
Daragh O'Connor - Dublin Institute of Technology
Patrick Quinlan - Ulster University
Leon Shaw - Univ of Manchester
Richard Unwin - London South Bank University and Overbury PLC
What is the ASHRAE Meeting?
ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers) hold two conferences every year; known as the winter and annual meeting. This year the winter meeting is being held in New York, with the annual meeting being held at Salt Lake City.
The conferences address issues which face the building services industry within America. The theme behind this years winter meeting, held in New York, is: Reaching New Heights in Net-Zero energy design which features 30 programmes on sustainability.
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Who am I, what do I do?
Name: Richard Unwin
Age: 23
From: London
Contact: Please contact me through the 'Questions' link in the left hand column. If you have any queries regarding this website or need any advice concerning building services engineering, please feel free to email and I shall try my best to help out.
Career:
Current Employment
Overbury PLC (2006-Present) - I currently work as a Services Manager for Overbury PLC, a leading Fit-out contractor, in a team of team of 3 which turn over £14 million/annum (of which c.40% is building services related).
I have a central role in interfacing between the client team, primarily the M&E consultants, our project team and the onsite sub-contractors.
Previous employment:
Michael J Lonsdale (2002 - 2004) - Project Engineer.
U&K Heating (2000 - 2002) - Pipe Fitter/Welder.
Education:
University - I carried out my undergraduate degree at South Bank University where I obtained a BEng First Class Honours Degree in Building Services Engineering.
College - : I completed my ONC and HNC BTEC in Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning at Croydon College. It was at Croydon where my attitude towards education changed.
School - Longford Community School, Feltham, Middlesex.
Hobbies/Interests: Travel, music, guitar, socialising, scuba diving, keeping fit, film, reading and football.